Posts Tagged ‘Vintage Smut’

Burmel provided Bizarre Desires in the form of a jaguar who chewed the lower right hand cover of my book! I can’t complain…it’s old. One of the rare Burmel books Leonard actually took the time to DATE. 1958. Ike was in office and while he didn’t particularly care what folks read, some of his minions did. So did a bunch of religious fanatics in Manhattan. Consequently, Lenny had to be careful…and in once case was arrested trying to slip dirty pictures through customs by claiming they were “cups and saucers” on the bill of lading. Nice try Lenny.Anyway, a story for another time and place, hopefully one I can sell rather than give away.

Bizarre Desires was one of a series of astounding titles published by Burmel with no dirty words, but remarkable illustrations by Eric Stanton and Eugene Bilbrew, both then at the peak of their weird powers. The text purports to be written by “Edith Reynolds” (uh huh) and consists of endless paragraphs detailing what the participants were taking off and trying on. I particularly like the phrase “her heel was as thin and narrow as a hypodermic needle” which I intend to use in my hard-boiled detective novel forthcoming.

I have only seen this title for sale once and I bought it. However, there are still like ten results if you search it up…all say “currently unavailable” so I assume they were all multiple listings for my copy. I’m happy to add the image to the universal brain…where henceforth each image which multiplies on the web will have a torn cover.

Name the photographer who put Bettie Page in a motion picture wearing an Indian headdress and had his finances frozen like a despot for doing it!

Willliam Glanzman, famous photographer and sleaze.

Glanzman photographed Ms. Page several times. They are among the least seen and least familiar photographs of the icon and many are in color. Not only that, he produced and sold a short stag film of the actress back in 1955.

While Glanzman’s work was goofy, putting the model among fake palm fronds and giving her stupid props, they were tasteful…although topless, there is no full frontal nudity and no implied bondage. (You know…the things other photographers were paying the model for.)

While Ms. Page (who was spelled “Paige” on his reel of film) was not Glanzman’s only model, she was his best. Ganzman also shot, and sold, slides and photographs of Gypsy Palmer, Tamar Benamy, Judy O’Neil and others. Again, no hardcore. Figure studies.

Still, Ganzman was prosecuted. The brochure above is what got him in trouble. Doing business as “Bowery Enterprises” he mailed them with less discretion than he should have. At least the New York postmaster thought so. They decided to put a freeze on all money orders and ordered all his mail returned to the sender! Why? Because he was selling, (quoting from the legal jargon used to deny him making a living off Bettie’s bangs ) “obscene, lewd, lascivious, indecent, filthy… vile article(s), matter, thing, device, or substance…”

Personally, I am of the opinion that Bettie Page was not obscene. She was obscenely beautiful…but obscene?

It was 1955…I might agree if some cub scout’s mom received this brochure because Glanzman swiped the Boy’s Life mailing list she might have been a bit upset. I’ll grant you that, postal forces who know better than I what I should see…but you will never get me to admit she was a vile article.

Did the fellow who so anxiously checked his mailbox everyday before his wife came home receive his film and pictures ordered above? I hope so, but I don’t think so. As he dated his note, the order clearly fell within the window when Glanzman’s money was being returned to sender. A shame. How many poor saps out there with $16.00 to blow on smut had to make do with the Sears catalog? We will never know.

Read Ganzman’s tale of woe HERE. So I don’t suffer Glanzman’s fate, I’ve blanked out the parts of Ms. Page which presumably offended the post office.

Original Brochure from William Glanzman and “Bowery Enterprises” 1955. Original note from purchaser handwritten on one side. Collection Victor Minx

Sam Menning was much more than a photographer, but he took the photo above. He was best known as a cranky character actor you might recognize from film and television, but you can wiki him up yourself. He is a good story, had a long life and is to be found in many places. Sam is a book waiting to happen.

Sam Menning is notable for our purposes as the man who took Bettie Page photographs for Leonard Burtman. In fact, many of the photos attributed to Burtman were Menning shots.

Menning eventually became the “house” photographer of sorts for Gargoyle, a distributor of 4 x 5 nude photos with a fetish bent. Mind you, they were 1950’s photos of a fetish bent…which meant play-acting with rather dim and confused models being asked to look tough…dramatic to this day, but little more than lingerie ads with the models in black. Not MY cup of tea, but someone’s.

The Kefauver commission investigating Samuel Roth confronted him in their public investigation, accusing him of publishing these fetish photos. The inept legal investigators were wrong. Roth had nothing to do with Gargoyle the fetish folks. Enjoy this passage as your tax dollars evaporate in futile censorship efforts:

Mr. Chumbris. You stated a while ago that you are connected withGargoyle Sales Corp.

Mr. Roth. That’s right.

Mr. Chumbris. I hereby show you an exhibit of advertisement ofgirls being whipped, or what is known as fetish and bondage pictures, which is a type of photograph and material sent out by another company here in New York City. I would like for you to look at that [handing to witness].

Chairman Kefauver. Will you identify that as being some of theliterature that your company has sent out?

Mr. Roth. Oh, no. That’s an entirely different company; it hasnothing to do with me.

Mr. Chumbris. You just stated that Gargoyle Sales

Mr. Roth. I had a company called Gargoyle Books. This is Gar-goyle Sales Corp. It hasn’t the remotest connection with me. AndI would like to see all the others that you think are like my business.[returning to Mr. Chumbris].

Mr. Chumbris. I read you the name of Gargoyle Sales Corp., andyou said it was your company.

Mr. Roth. One thing to answer as honestly as I could, and hearing “Gargoyle,” which is a part of the name — I never heard of this company.

Mr. Chumbris. This particular company is not one of your com-panies?

Mr. Roth. I never heard of the name before.

One can imagine Kefauver giving a big stink eye to his crack “investigators” as his vision of a campaign issue sinks. Kefauver got his Sams and his Gargoyles confused! The highly choreographed expose falls apart like pulled-pork. Later, with the dramatic confrontation deflated, Kefauver has to refer to “…this gargoyle thing” as he introduces a witness brought in to help fry Roth with pseudo-scientific testimony about his damaging photos which he never took, never published and never saw.

They they didn’t find Sam…after taking pictures of Bettie Page with a whip and white leather boots, he hit the road for Hollywood.